Gun rights rally held

December 30, 2012

MARTINSBURG - In support of their Second Amendment rights, local residents gathered in front of Congresswoman Shelley Moore Capito's Martinsburg office Saturday afternoon.

The Blue Ridge Patriots of Berkeley County and We The People of Jefferson County were the two Tea Party groups in attendance, along with the West Virginia Civil Defense League and the Campaign for Liberty.

"It's very important for Shelley to understand we are very passionate about this, and we don't agree that anyone should be wavering with our right to bear arms," Kandi Montini, president of the Blue Ridge Patriots, said.

Article Photos

Journal photo by Michelle HorstLocals rally to show support of the Second Amendment in front of Congresswoman Shelley Moore Capito’s Martinsburg office Saturday afternoon.

S. Chris Anders, state coordinator for the Campaign for Liberty, explained that the purpose of the rally was to make people more aware of the intent of the Second Amendment. He said that it was not written with the intent for hunting, as many people consider it to be.

Anders' group chose Capito's office, because, he said, the congresswoman has not issued a statement on her stance in regard to Sen. Joe Manchin's support of putting all the options on the table.

The Campaign for Liberty recently rallied in front of Manchin's Charleston office, and plans to do so a second time.

"Capito has repeatedly voted against our constitutional rights. Whether it's with the Patriot Act, whether it's with the National Defense Act, we want to let her know we are going to hold her feet to the fire and she is going to stand by us and our Second Amendment right," Anders, a Shepherdstown resident, said.

"If you look at every other country in the world, you don't have Second Amendment rights, you also don't have all the other rights as guaranteed by the constitution," Anders said.

A seven-year resident of Martinsburg, Stephanie Robinson attended the rally with her sign in hand. Robinson said she was "scared to death" of the Obama administration, and scared that by taking away the right to bear arms, the administration would be taking away the freedom of the citizens.

"With recent events, and the renewed push for restricted gun legislation, we decided to come out here and support the other groups," Art Thomm, vice president of the West Virginia Citizens Defense League, said.

Thomm said while the rally was not intended to be a protest against Capito, the groups were gathering to show support of the Second Amendment and let their stance be heard and recognized.

"A lot of times there's a disconnect between here and Charleston. In the last few years, we have really tried to let Charleston understand across the board that we are a force out here, and we are not part of Maryland or Virginia," Thomm said.

Chris Strovel, who represents Capito in the Eastern Panhandle, was in attendance during the rally. He read a letter from Capito at the beginning of the rally, in which Capito called the Newtown, Conn., events "one of the most painful acts of violence our country has ever experienced."

Capito also said in her letter she believes that certain video games and movies should undergo close scrutiny for the possibility of their roles in tragedies such as Newtown.

"I look forward to engaging in a conversation with others from across our state so that I can better express the views of West Virginians in Washington, D.C.," the letter read.